1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mechanisms for mounting electrical outlets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques for mounting and covering standard electrical outlets are innumerable. Most variations concern one of three themes, (i) safety for small children, (ii) aesthetics or (iii) recession for electrical cord management. Despite the abundance of related art in this sector, practically all indoor electrical outlet boxes and covers sold in the United States are of traditional design, with little of the patented derivatives finding any level of commercial appeal. The failure of current designs to penetrate the commercial market results from the following:                i) In terms of safety: obtrusive aesthetic design, excessive manufacturing cost or difficulty in installation. Electrical outlet installation is generally permanent in nature, while children's safety is required only periodically and temporarily. Safety features impede normal access to outlets in such a manner as to deter the housing developers from incorporating permanent inconveniences to a majority of customers on behalf of a minority of customers. Also, the construction necessary to retrofit an outlet for this temporary purpose is cost prohibitive and impractical. Therefore add-on temporary products such as plastic electrical outlet safety caps dominate the marketplace.        ii) In terms of aesthetics, most designs, (a) amount to a derivative of a cap that protrudes from the wall, clearly visible and therefore creating limited appreciable aesthetic benefit, (b) incorporate covers that either require storage elsewhere when the outlet is in use or that are more obtrusive when the outlets are in use than cover-free outlets, (c) require excessive manufacturing cost, (d) require additional labor for the home and office contractors.        iii) In terms of recessed outlet design, (a) too many electrical devices utilize low voltage transformers or other plugs that a recessed outlet will not accommodate, thereby preventing prevalent installation, (b) a recessed design that fails to incorporate aesthetic closures and easy closing mechanisms offers limited benefit outside of special applications. As a result, installations of such designs are relegated to specialty uses such as wall-mounted audio visual equipment.        
Home builders recognize the aesthetic detraction of standard outlets, as evidenced by the increasing practice of obscuring kitchen outlets through under-cabinet mounting, despite more difficult access for consumers. Such mounting preserves the clean, uninterrupted visual appearance of a kitchen wall. However, no other room in a home or office building offers such a means of obscuring the electrical outlets in a manner that would preserve the aesthetics of an un-breached wall. The lack of commercial penetration by electrical boxes other than of standard design is evidence that no current design has incorporated the four necessary elements:
(i) aesthetically appealing design,
(ii) user-friendly mechanical operation that provides easy access to the outlet,
(iii) competitive manufacturing cost, and/or
(iv) the same field installation steps as used for standard boxes and covers.
In terms of aesthetic improvement referenced in (i) above, the outlet, when not in use should closely resemble the surrounding wall. Features that can improve the aesthetic appearance so include (a) minimal profile such that difference in depth is difficult to perceive, (b) no exposed screws or hinges, (c) limited gaps around the cover closure and (d) paintable material to be painted the same color as the drywall.
Proper mechanical operation referenced in (ii) above, requires that the outlet not be particularly more difficult to access than are standard exposed outlets, can be accessed with one hand while holding an electrical plug and/or must not require the removal and storage of a detachable cover.
As referenced in (iii) above, the parts used for mechanical operation and the general design as a whole cannot be significantly more expensive to manufacture than standard boxes and cover plates.
Installation of the box, flange and cover in new construction must be consistent with current practice as referenced in (iv) above, requiring no additional labor, time, or skills to install.
A design that sufficiently incorporates any of the individual elements would be unique. A design that incorporates all elements in combination would be additionally unique. However, no prior art has produced designs of any one of these elements sufficient to penetrate the current marketplace with these individual attributes and particularly in combination with one another.